Belgium: Home of Abbey Ales, Lambic, Wit, & Diverse, Distinctive Ales

Whoever
serves beer or wine watered down, he himself deserves in them to drown. -
Medieval exhortation for pure beverages

Belgium is a
unique beer-producing country where beer, culture, and religion coexist in
greater harmony than any other place in the world. The history of beer in
this flat, culturally divided part of Europe dates back more than two
millennia. When Julius Caesar led his conquering Roman legions through the
land of the Belgae in the first century b.c., he found that the natives
were already producing a variety of simple beers. Brewing continued
through the Middle Ages when self-sufficient monasteries established their
own breweries. Six of these monastic breweries are still in operation in
Belgium and Holland. In the 15th and 16th centuries, as part of the
cultural empire of Burgundy, this corner of Europe spread brewing
technology and tradition to the whole of northern Europe. Unsurprisingly,
more than a few Belgian breweries can trace their foundation back further
than 300 years. For example, Liefmans of Oudenaarde in East Flanders was
founded in 1679.

A small country
(about the size of Maryland), Belgium presents to the connoisseur a
treasure trove of exotic ales. This range of flavors can send beer critics
spiraling off into the wilder reaches of inflated winespeak in an effort
to capture on paper the sheer complexity of Belgium’s finest beers. Such
diversity is not achieved by German adherence to purity laws that
proscribe any ingredients other than yeast, malted barley, water, and
hops. In addition to these ingredients, such exotica as barley sugar,
herbs, fruits, and spices are all part of an ancient Belgian brewing
tradition that would make a Bavarian brewer run for his Reinheitsgebot
parchment.

Fewer than 100
breweries are currently active in Belgium, compared to approximately 3,000
at the beginning of the 20th century. Industrialization, mergers,
takeovers, and the post-World War II trend to pilsner-style beers have had
their effects. Nonetheless, Belgium remains a country of strikingly
diverse beer styles. It must be remembered that Belgium is a relatively
modern contrivance of two principal cultures, Dutch-speaking Flemish to
the north and French-speaking Walloons to the south. Flems and Walloons
are a touch chauvinistic about drinking their own beers, a fact that only
serves to enhance diversity.

It may prove
difficult tracking down many of these beers in the United States,
especially outside large urban areas, although beers from Chimay are
widely distributed.

From this select
group of Trappist beers, a separate category of "abbey" beers
has developed. These beers are brewed in commercial secular breweries.
Some are produced under license and in accordance with original recipes
from abbeys that have ceased their brewing operations. Others are fanciful
creations, or named after local ruins. The law offers little guidance in
the naming of abbey beers, or the printing of the actual brewer in an
obvious manner on labels. This label proliferation is a source of minor
frustration in correlating brands to actual breweries in
Belgium.

Lambic beers are
esoteric and quite distinctive in the world of brewing. They are rare,
even in and around their home city of Brussels, where the local airborne
wild yeasts allow this tart specialty style to spontaneously ferment.
Modern tastes have veered away from tart, acidic flavors. A handful of
producers persevere with the artisanal, slow, and inefficient methods that
yield the most striking examples of geueze lambic beer. With negligible
exceptions, lambic beer in Brussels and throughout Belgium has become
synonymous with the Bellevue range from the giant Interbrew company.
Although very drinkable, these beers have a rather mild lambic
affectation. Short of a sharp upturn of interest in these beers in Belgium
or abroad, artisanal lambics will not be truly known and appreciated
outside a relatively small but devout group of enthusiasts. Do not hold
back-a good selection of lambics may be found in the United States, albeit
in small quantities.

Another
noteworthy style of Belgian beer is wit (white) beer, a cloudy wheat ale
spiced with coriander and orange peel. A classic example is Hoegaarden,
which has resurfaced on the U.S. market. Despite its increasing sales
volume domestically and abroad, it is tasting as good as ever. Interbrew’s
considerable investment in the De Kluis brewery, founded by Pierre Celis
(who later went on to found yet another wit brewery in Austin, Texas, of
all places), is yielding beers worthy of the historic name of Hoegaarden,
a town famous for its wit beers in centuries past. Hoegaarden and other
Belgian wit beers should prove increasingly popular with U.S. beer
consumers who have become accustomed to drinking cloudy wheat ales during
summer months.

From the U.S.
consumers’ viewpoint, Belgian beers generally represent styles that the
domestic craft-brewing industry has not yet addressed in a convincing
manner, with a few notable exceptions. Strong Belgian Ales represent a
step up the sophistication ladder and often are priced accordingly. They
invite contemplative, less hurried drinking (if only because of the
alcohol content), and can bridge the gap between the proletarian
perception of beer and the more cerebral one of wine.